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The two men gave the following testimony: "We were walking in the gardens when this woman came in with her two servant women. She locked the main gates and asked the servants to leave.
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Then a young man who had been hiding in the gardens came to her, and they lay down together.
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We were in a corner of the gardens, and when we saw what was happening, we ran over
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and caught them in the act. We tried to hold on to the man, but he was too strong for us. He ran and opened the gates and got away,
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but we were able to hold the woman. We asked her who the man was, but she refused to tell us. We swear that our testimony is true."
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Because the two men were not only leaders in the community but also judges, the people believed their story and condemned Susanna to death.
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Then Susanna cried out in a loud voice, "Eternal God, nothing can be kept secret from you; you know everything before it happens.
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Here I am about to die, but you know that I am innocent, that these men are lying. Why must I die?"
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The Lord heard her prayer
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and led a young man named Daniel to speak out, just as Susanna was being taken away to her death.
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He shouted, "I refuse to be a party to her death!"